The Atkins Diet and the Desire for Food
A very common, but nevertheless astonishing results of ‘doing’ the Atkins diet is the suppression of appetite. Many followers of the regimen report that the between meal hunger pangs they used to get just vanish and quite quickly too. This factor makes it easier to stay on the diet and continue to lose weight. While other diets have their followers hungry between meals, the Atkins dieters receive relief from constant hunger. The Atkins diet, with its specific recommendation of foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing qualities.
The first key component is the amount of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, more so than carbohydrates, has the power to assuage hunger. If you’ve ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry afterwards, you know that carbohydrates don’t have much staying power as a satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling full for long periods of time.
One of the most powerful appetite suppressing foods on the Atkins diet is the egg. Eggs are a great sort of quick and easy protein. A recent study revealed that eating eggs for breakfast would actually stave off hunger pangs throughout the remainder of the day. The study concerned two groups of women. One group ate eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of bread and cream cheese.
The calorie count for both styles of breakfasts was exactly the same. The subjects noted down what they ate for the remainder of the day and answered questions about their hunger and satisfaction levels throughout the day. The results of the study showed that the women who ate the eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied throughout the entire day and they ate less at each meal than those women who were in the bread group.
Eggs contain about 6 grammes of protein each, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels and produces a feeling of satisfaction. Both of these factors help to curb cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been shown to have incredible effects on eye health. Therefore, it is important to consume the whole egg, and not just the white. Eggs contain choline which is important for maintaining brain function and memory. These nutrients are just an additional benefit to the appetite suppressant qualities.
Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most suitable vegetables on the Atkins programme, also have appetite-suppressant effects. These vegetables are very bulky and they help make your stomach feel full. When your stomach feels full, it will actually create a chemical response in your body. Your body will reduce its appetite because it assumes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods. This will happen regardless of what is in your stomach. You can achieve the same results with water and psyllium husk fiber. Both broccoli and cauliflower provide bulk in your diet and are essential vegetables on the Atkins plan.
The Atkins diet focuses on eating small, protein balanced meals a few times a day. This will help maintain your blood sugar in a stabilized state and avoid carbohydrate-induced cravings. With high carbohydrate diets, you are riding the wave of carbohydrate highs. After you have eaten, you feel great and full. Then a few hours later, you come crashing down and are hungrier than you were previous to eating the carbohydrates. This cycle continues and, over time, you will eat more and gain weight.
The protein, fat and vegetable meals provided by the Atkins plan put your blood sugar back in balance. They provide just enough of each type of food, with a proper amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its sustainability. This combination suppresses your appetite effectively throughout the day.
The Atkins diet is actually a craving control diet that helps suppress your appetite. If you’ve had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating will help regulate those cravings. The more you eat on the plan, the better your cravings will be controlled and the easier it will be to follow the diet. Really, the longer you follow the plan, the more it works and the easier following the diet gets.
